Biology (Single Science) - Cambridge OCR 21st Century

Try this quiz based on GCSE Biology past papers. Choose the topic you would like to revise and answer the questions.

OCR 21st Century GCSE foundation and higher triple science exam practice with Bitesize interactive quizzes covering feedback and common errors in cells, organisation and more.

Foundation and higher exam quiz based on OCR 21st Century GCSE biology past papers to boost your revision in photosynthesis, respiration, plant disease and more.

Boost your confidence for the biology exam with step-by-step worked examples, tailored tips, and practice questions.

All living things are made of cells, which is why they’re called the building blocks of life.

Learn all about plant and animal organisation with Dr Alex Lathbridge.

Learn all about infection and response for your GCSE biology exam with Dr Alex Lathbridge.

Learn all about homeostasis for your GCSE Biology exam with Dr Alex Lathbridge.

Learn all about inheritance, variation and evolution for your GCSE Biology exam with Dr Alex Lathbridge.

Learn all about ecology for your GCSE Biology exam with Dr Alex Lathbridge.

Learn all about science exam techniques for your GCSE science exams with Dr Alex Lathbridge.

All living organisms are made of cells. Some contain only one cell. Others are multicellular and contain many cells.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology students studying cells and their structures.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying cells and the different cell types.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying transport in and out of cells.

Humans and other organisms look a lot like their parents. This is because they have inherited information from them. This information is stored in the genome of the organism.

Our genes are inherited from our parents, and the different combinations of these genes make us unique. Genetic inheritance controls the characteristics of all living things.

Scientists are unlocking the secrets of the human genome as well as the genomes of other organisms. This means we can now find genes that serve particular roles or cause particular diseases.

Understanding how to approach exam questions helps to boost exam performance. Question types will include multiple choice, structured, mathematical and practical questions.

Diseases are abnormal conditions that affect an organism’s body, organs, tissues or cells. Some are caused by pathogens, and organisms have defences to them.

There is a race between pathogens, which need to grow and reproduce in other organisms, and the organisms they infect. Humans use various ways to keep themselves and their crops free of disease.

There are many kinds of pathogens that cause infections. Scientists use a variety of tests to learn more about the pathogen causing an individual's disease in order to identify it.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying the physical and chemical defences plants have to combat diseases.

Our genomes interact with our environment to create our phenotypes. While some aspects of our environment are beyond our control, scientists are realising that lifestyle interacts with the genome too.

Humans have used medicines for centuries. Most have come from plants and fungi, but increasingly they are being synthesised with chemical reactions.

Understanding how to approach exam questions helps to boost exam performance. Question types will include multiple choice, structured, mathematical and practical questions.

Plants make their own food using photosynthesis. The food is important for the plants and for organisms that feed on the plants. Optimum rates of photosynthesis produce maximum plant yields.

For an organism to function, substances must move into and out of cells. Three processes contribute to this movement – diffusion, osmosis and active transport.

During transpiration plants move water from the roots to their leaves in xylem vessels. Glucose made in the leaves through photosynthesis is then moved to all cells in phloem vessels by translocation.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying plant structures, their functions and how substances are transported in and out of a plant.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying plant organisation, exploring processes such as transpiration and osmosis.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying hormones and how they promote growth in plants.

Carbohydrates, proteins and lipids are required by humans. The digestive system breaks down large molecules. Nutrients are passed to other organisms in a food web. Enzymes are biological catalysts.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying biodiversity and the impact human activity has on it.

Plants compete for light, water, minerals and space. Animals compete for food, mates and territory. Decay is the breakdown of organic matter and is affected by temperature, water and oxygen.

The abundance of organisms in an ecosystem is dependent upon biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) factors. Abundance and distribution are estimated using techniques such as transects and quadrats.

Understanding how to approach exam questions helps to boost exam performance. Question types will include multiple choice, structured, mathematical and practical questions.

All cells need energy to survive. They obtain this energy by carrying out a series of chemical reactions that are collectively known as respiration.

The development of microscopes, particularly the electron microscope, has helped scientists to learn more about how cells function.

Multicellular organisms grow by increasing the number of cells they have. This relies on the processes of cell division and differentiation.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology students studying cell division and the process of mitosis.

Gain an in-depth understanding of mitosis with this guide and interactive activity from BBC Bitesize, written to the GCSE Cambridge OCR 21st Century biology specification.

Plants release hormones that are vital for their correct growth and development. This helps them to respond to their environment.

Understanding how to approach exam questions helps to boost exam performance. Question types will include multiple choice, structured, mathematical and practical questions.

Cells carry out chemical reactions that are essential for organism survival. The substance needed for the reactions have to get into the cells and waste products must be removed from the cells.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying transport systems in humans.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying transport systems and ways of managing cardiovascular disease.

Survival of an organism depends on its ability to respond to changes in the environment. The nervous system allows fast-acting but short-lived responses.

Organisms can only function if their internal conditions are kept within a specific range. This is called homeostasis. The endocrine system secretes hormones for homeostasis to occur.

Hormones are vital to enable sexual reproduction in humans. There are a range of hormones that interact to cause puberty in males and females, and to prepare a woman’s reproductive system for pregnancy.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying the role hormones play in human reproduction.

The control systems that keep our bodies functioning are very complicated. Sometimes they do not work efficiently, which can lead to illness.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying non-communicable diseases such as Type 2 diabetes and tumours.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying non-communicable diseases and the role data analysis plays in reporting statistics.

Understanding how to approach exam questions helps to boost exam performance. Question types will include multiple choice, structured, mathematical and practical questions.

Genetic variation, as well as changes in the environment, cause characteristics of organisms to change over time. This process of natural selection leads to the evolution of new species.

Advances in biological techniques have had a huge impact on the way that scientists classify organisms on Earth. They have helped us to find out to what extent organisms are related to one another.

This interactive quiz is suitable for GCSE Biology (single science) students studying how organisms have been classified into systems.

All organisms depend on other organisms and the environment to live. Human activities can result in ecosystems being damaged. Conserving biodiversity will make sure we have the resources we need.

Understanding how to approach exam questions helps to boost exam performance. Question types will include multiple choice, structured, mathematical and practical questions.

In general, scientists answer questions or work out explanations based on repeatedly collecting and analysing data. The way in which scientists develop explanations is known as the 'scientific method'.

Scientific data is collected, presented and then analysed. It is important to evaluate the quality of data before drawing a conclusion.

Data shows a correlation if the change in a factor is similar to the change in an outcome. Scientists must find a scientific explanation to conclude that a particular factor causes an outcome.

It is important that scientists communicate their work with the public, other scientists and politicians. This means decisions can be made that consider the risks, benefits, costs and ethical issues.

Scientific investigations have several stages - planning, collecting data, analysing data and evaluation. It is important to understand how to carry out each stage of the investigation.

Get ready for the GCSE biology exams with these interactive resources from BBC Bitesize.